Need a slang term that can replace just about any noun? Try chumpie. If you’re from Philadelphia, you may already know this handy placeholder word. And there’s Queens, Brooklyn, Staten Island, Manhattan, and … The Bronx — why do we add...
Susan from Chester County, Pennsylvania, who grew up hearing New York broadcasts, asks why the borough is called The Bronx with a definite article rather than simply Bronx. The name goes back to 17th-century settler Jonas Bronck, whose name survived...
Why do some place names include the word the, as in The Hague or the Bronx? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Place Names Starting with “The”” Hello, you have A Way with Words. Hi, how are you? My name is...
dag n.—Gloss: A euphemized or modified form of “damn.” «“He was selling it right here at the bar? Dag. I didn’t know it was that kind of place.” According to court documents, Mr. Younge, 50, of the Bronx, sold illegal drugs on...
An upstate New York listener of Italian descent is curious about two favorite expressions: “fuggeddabouddit” and “bada-bing, bada-boom.” This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Bada-Bing, Bada-Boom”...
mussel sucker n.— «“Newcomers especially want to be a part of the community, so they figure we got rules to be called a clam digger,” Mr. Sadler said, using the folksy local term for a native. “They figure you can be a clam digger if you...